The Apprentice with Bill Cullen became TV3's most watched home produced programme during its run between 2008 and 2011, with one instalment attracting an audience of 600,000.

The tv franchise, which sees candidates competing through business tasks to earn the prize of a top job, began in the USA in 2004 with one Donald Trump as the anchor.

Success saw it taken up in other markets including the UK where Sir Alan Sugar is the entrepreneur mentor.

And so in 2008, TV3 launched the Irish version with Renault supremo Bill Cullen in the driving seat.

However, the economy was already tipping into freefall and it was with some irony that the business-led production came a cropper in the recession with all enterprises struggling - including that of the resilient car dealer himself who eventually went into receivership. High costs were cited as the main reason for scrapping the series.

Perhaps the most memorable was Series Three which screened during Ireland's bail-out in 2010, after which Michelle Massey emerged as the winner. The track record of that year's contestants has been particularly good.

The living room.The exterior of No 3 Pirton with four bay windows.The home cinema.One of the double bedroomsThe open-plan kitchen features a centre island and opens onto the dining area.Jamie Moran

Massey is now a senior account manager with a top US multinational, Will McCreevey and Kieran Walsh got together to set up National Beauty Distribution, managing distribution for global hair and beauty brands.

Niamh McDonald is a regional sales training manager with Facebook and is now engaged to Will.

Jamie Moran struck out on his own as a building contractor in 2011, the worst year for the property market.

Running a small crew renovating existing homes, he impressed one of his wealthy clients who offered to become an investment partner with Moran if he would consider development.

"There was a real shortage of new larger homes, so rather than go the traditional route we decided to look at small schemes of big luxury homes in areas where there were few options to trade up."

Moran acquired land in Dundrum beside the newly revamped Airfield Estate to build four high-end double fronted detached houses in a luxury scheme he named Pirton. Their instincts paid off, three of the four were prebooked.

But now the largest one of the four, No3, has been completed and is being offered for sale. It's the only one in the scheme to be offered now on completion.

Amidst almost no new homes of this type, the property has a definite niche.

One of the double bedroomsThe exterior of No 3 Pirton with four bay windows.The home cinema.The living room.The open-plan kitchen features a centre island and opens onto the dining area.Jamie Moran

At more than 3,500 sq ft, it is three times the size of an average semi in a locale where these cost around €430,000.

Number 3 has a high A2 BER aided by a Dimplex air to water heat pump. There's underfloor heating and the floors themselves are in brushed oak.

It has a home cinema room with a projector and amplifier.

There's a home gym, a Sonos multi-room music system and the bathrooms are kitted out in top end Villeroy and Boch. An entrance hall leads to the living room and then a substantial open-plan family/dining room and bespoke kitchen with a central island, marble worktops an Abode double sink.

There's also a range of AEG units here, including a five-ring hob and two ovens. There's a formal dining room, six bedrooms and a free-standing oval stone resin bath in the main bathroom.

The master bedroom comes with a walk-in wardrobe and luxury ensuite.

Moran launches his next scheme of luxury homes in Stepaside in three weeks.

Bill Cullen is back in business as a car dealer and Donald Trump might just become US President in what could be the most unexpected case of "you're hired!" ever seen.